The Bambur Sea was considered a fairly prosperous stretch of water. Located in a central area of the New World, it was usually quite lively, even if it could not be called crowded.
However, starting from a week ago, the number of ships here had plummeted sharply.
By two days ago, not a single irrelevant ship could be spotted.
Only three Beasts Pirates warships, led by the Queen Mama Chanter, remained anchored here, steady and unmoving.
And now, as the sky suddenly changed and wind and snow swept in, the Oro Jackson slowly entered this silent sea as if sailing out from the depths of winter.
On the deck of the Queen Mama Chanter, the members of the Beasts Pirates had gathered behind Charlotte Linlin and Kaido.
The main figures included Charlotte Katakuri, Arber, and Queen.
As the Oro Jackson drew closer, a bitter wind began to rise, laced with icy snowflakes that lashed against everyone's senses.
This was what the sky looked like right before a blizzard.
Yet above Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and the others, the sky remained utterly clear—an endless expanse of blue with the blazing sun suspended at its center.
But over the Oro Jackson, dense clouds hung low like waterlogged cotton, so heavy they seemed almost within reach of the sea. The sun's halo flickered faintly through the cloud layer, only to be swallowed again as they drew nearer, the light growing dimmer and more distant with every passing moment.
Warm and cold currents clashed violently in the air, giving birth to fierce winds that tore across the sea. Frost and drifting snow were ripped from the clouds, erupting into a white storm that swallowed everyone's vision.
And faintly, hidden within the howling wind and snow, lingered Valthior's aura.
Within that storm, threads of Conqueror's Haki began to intertwine with the gale itself.
It was as if the sky and sea were lending it strength—amplifying those faint traces into something far more oppressive than they should have been.
By the time it reached them, it carried little true weight on its own. And yet, Katakuri and the others still felt their breaths tighten, as though an invisible hand had closed around their throats.
"So this is his so-called weather manipulation?" Kaido said coldly.
For the first time, he was directly facing Valthior's true might. As he felt the sky and sea shift in color, as he sensed that freezing pressure seemingly intent on swallowing all things, even he could not help but speak out.
"I've never seen it like this either…" Charlotte Linlin murmured as she raised a hand, catching a drifting snowflake between her fingers. The icy chill spread across her skin as she spoke in a low voice. "The last time I saw him, he wasn't this strong."
Over the sea, the phrase "the weather bows before him" had already become a description of Valthior's terrifying ability. In the past two years, it had spread alongside his name—one of the many rumors, yet one of the few no one dared to dismiss outright.
Unlike most rumors, this one was different. Many in the New World swore they had seen it with their own eyes.
They said Valthior was the embodiment of winter itself—a man who wielded frost so absolute that even the sea seemed to change in his presence. His very existence was said to alter the climate around him.
After he settled in Wano, its once-balanced seasons began to collapse. The gentle rotation of spring, summer, autumn, and winter was replaced by something far harsher. Warmth faded, and winter slowly took its place without end.
When he sailed, the weather followed. The sky darkened in his wake, winds turned violent, and snow began to fall even across clear seas.
Some even claimed that if you found a long trail of ice stretching across the ocean—like a frozen scar upon the water—and followed it, the cold would deepen the farther you went, until at last you would see the Oro Jackson cutting through a storm of its own making.
That phenomenon, where the climate itself seemed to yield and reshape itself around him, came to be described in whispers as "the weather bows before him."
A phrase now inseparable from Winter's Wrath—Valthior.
There was no need for a clash or collision of Conqueror's Haki.
Just the Oro Jackson's approach was enough.
As the heavy cloud layer moved with it and began invading the sunlit sky, from far away it looked as if the sky above the sea had been torn in two.
When the fierce wind carried ice and snow and lifted Charlotte Linlin's pink hair, a bold laugh came from within the storm.
"Hahahahaha! I am not late, am I, Linlin?" At the very front of the Oro Jackson's deck, Valthior stood with one foot planted on the bow cannon, leaning slightly forward with a wild, unrestrained grin as he shouted across.
His laughter was deeply penetrating. Even through the howling wind, it clearly reached Charlotte Linlin and the others.
At the same time, it was as if the majesty of the Lord of Winter had spread outward. The raging wind and snow gradually began to settle, as though subdued by his voice, quickly calming down.
The snow was still falling.
But without the roar of the storm, everything fell into an eerie stillness.
And without the blizzard obscuring everyone's vision, the Oro Jackson stood clearly in the distance.
At the ship's front stood a man draped in a brown fur cloak. His silver hair carried a faint, piercing chill. A tailored, pure-black knight's formal suit clung to his frame, paired with high leather boots. He wore a confident—almost arrogant—smile as he looked straight at everyone.
There was no doubt about it.
This man was Valthior.
Behind Valthior, on his right, stood an extraordinarily tall missionary holding a worn-out Bible that had clearly been flipped through countless times. He wore plain glasses and a bear-eared hat.
On his left stood a man with a firm face, looking like a mature man in his thirties. He was tall, muscular, and powerful from head to toe. Matching Valthior's presence perfectly, he wore a full set of black officer's clothing, white gloves, and two old yet impressive medals on his chest. His fluffy pale-gold hair was tied into a ponytail and fell down his back, making him look unusually calm.
The two men standing behind him were naturally the Valthior Pirates' two ship doctors, Bartholomew Kuma and Douglas Bullet.
On Bartholomew Kuma's shoulder sat Buggy, his big red nose unmistakable. He wore an orange-red knit hat, while Enma hung at his waist—a blade seemingly even longer than his own height. In his hands, he idly juggled three special cannonballs as if it were nothing more than a game.
To Bartholomew Kuma's right stood Shanks. He wore Roger's straw hat and carried Ame no Habakiri at his side, a sword nearly as tall as him. With a curious look on his face, he stared at the other side while taking bite after bite of a red apple.
As for where his apple came from—it was naturally given to him by Sphinx, who stood beside him with indigo twin tails and was also eating an apple of her own.
Sphinx leaned against the broad belly of the equally muscular Rengar. A massive sniper rifle rested against the ground, its metallic surface gleaming under the light. The weapon was absurdly long, its muzzle almost reaching Rengar's chin.
She stared at Charlotte Linlin with a slightly crazed look, muttering "iron balloon" under her breath, as if seriously tempted to test whether she could break through that kind of defense.
Tofu, wearing a white chef's uniform and a tall chef's hat, stood beside Sunbell, the fierce Fish-Man holding a harpoon. He asked curiously, "Does Totto Land really hire chefs at high salaries all year round?"
"You're not seriously thinking of jumping ship, are you?" Sunbell looked at Tofu in sheer astonishment.
"Hahaha, look at what you're saying..." Tofu laughed loudly, deliberately acting a bit guilty.
These individuals were all standing behind Valthior. Only Spencer and Doringo stood slightly forward, flanking Valthior's shoulders on the left and right.
Doringo flapped his demon wings and wiped his battle axe with a towel. He grinned and said, "Is it really okay to give me this center-left spot? I am not confident I can beat the enemy."
Spencer lit a cigarette and exhaled lightly. "What are you afraid of? Do you think I am that strong? This battle depends on whether Valthior can hold up. The rest of us are just here to fill the numbers."
It had to be said that the sea had always jokingly called the Valthior Pirates the "Baby Pirates," claiming that other than Valthior, no one was worth taking seriously.
But at this moment, facing the Valthior Pirates directly, whether it was Charlotte Linlin or Kaido, they suddenly felt that the group opposite them was not made up of babies at all.
At least from their presence, every single one of them looked impressive.
Even Shanks and Buggy, who looked the most like children, gave off the air of veterans who had survived countless battles.
And Kaido, who had also fought his way through blades, guns, and cannon fire, could tell at a glance that these two brats were not pretending.
They truly had experienced countless battles.
That feeling immediately reminded him of the days when he had been an apprentice aboard Rocks's ship.
These two brats were just like him back then.
Ever since they had first gone to sea, they had likely fought only opponents at the highest level.
Because of that, when Kaido looked at the people aboard Valthior's ship again, he finally realized something.
These were not a group of useless children.
They were rising talents who would one day sweep across the seas and make their names known throughout the world.
In the blink of an eye, it felt as though a long time had passed.
But in reality, Valthior's greeting had only just ended.
After hearing Valthior's greeting, Charlotte Linlin burst into laughter.
"Mamamama! It is noon. You are not late at all, Valthior..."
"That is good. After all, I cannot be late to a date with a beautiful lady like you. Otherwise, I would appear terribly lacking in manners," Valthior said with a smile.
This was not mere flattery.
It had been several years since they had last met. Before seeing Charlotte Linlin again, Valthior had wondered whether she had already begun to decline.
But as it turned out, perhaps because Kaido had placed considerable pressure on her over the years, Charlotte Linlin had not allowed herself to become bloated. Nor had her beautiful features deteriorated. She still retained the appearance that had once earned her a reputation as one of the sea's great beauties.
It was precisely because of this that Valthior took her even more seriously.
Her appearance was proof that Charlotte Linlin was in even better condition than Valthior remembered.
And if Charlotte Linlin was like this, how could Kaido—her devoted admirer—not have pushed himself just as hard?
These two were likely stronger than they had been at this point in the original story.